Sold Into Marriage Read Free

fixing her dress back into place. “Can you stand up?”
    Relief flooded her, and she turned her head to look at him. Their eyes met and all the drunken voices outside the tent faded. She inhaled deeply and began to stand up, but her knees buckled and she started to slip to the ground.
    Commander Varron moved fast and scooped her up into his arms. He carried her to his bedroll, pushed his sword belt aside, and placed her atop the fur coverings. She sat up and scooted against the wall of the tent.
    “Shh. I promised not to touch you or harm you, lass, and I intend to keep that promise. You need to sit down for a moment, though. I thought the bed would be more comfortable than the stool.”
    She stared into the depths of his dark eyes, thanking God that Commander Varron was an honorable man. Some of the commanders who had come through the two different villages she’d lived in during the tax collection seasons hadn’t been so honorable. She thought of the year one had ordered two barns set on fire, all because the villagers who owned them didn’t have the owed tax money.
    This was Commander Varron’s first year going through Monnaka, and she wondered what he’d done to be given the task of collecting taxes from the villages outside the capital city. It wasn’t a glamorous job for a soldier, and the villagers always whispered that King Baltus punished those under his command who had displeased him by sentencing them to collect taxes, rather than patrol and defend the lands of the capital city.
    “Here, drink this.” He passed her a mug of mead.
    She accepted the beverage and took a few sips. The drink calmed her nerves, and ever so gradually her strength returned. Her legs no longer felt weak, and she had stopped shaking. The fear that Varron intended to rape her had been an acute shock to her system, and the proceeding relief had been just as acute. She felt thoroughly exhausted, as if she’d spent the day running through the forest, and her bottom ached from the strapping. Each time she shifted on the bedroll she was reminded of her punishment, causing a hot flush to suffuse her face.
    “Are you all right, lass?” Concern reflected in Varron’s dark eyes.
    She liked this man much more than she should. She opened her mouth to answer, and her voice became stuck in her throat. Finally, she managed, “Why are you being so nice to me? I was going to steal from you, after all. Remember?”
    He smiled, revealing a dimple on his right cheek. Lord, he was handsome. She shouldn’t be admiring him so much, but she found she couldn’t resist. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with short, dark wavy hair that was graying around the sides of his head. He looked distinguished and worldly, and God help her, but she wanted to know more about him. Did he have a wife in the capital city? Or was there a lass awaiting his return, counting the days until they could be together again?
    “Meadow, I sense you are good girl, you simply acted foolishly by entering the camp. I have no reason to treat you unkindly. Tell me, will your family be able to make it by without the chickens?”
    She nodded. “Aye, we have a lot of chickens. I had a very bad day today, and I confess I completely lost my temper when I witnessed your soldiers carrying those two chickens away.” Part of her wondered if she had wanted to get caught. Entering the encampment had indeed been reckless and dangerous. What purpose getting caught would serve her, though, she didn’t know. Perhaps just the sake of open rebellion, an outlet for anger that she couldn’t possibly direct at her stepfather without increasing her risk of being cast onto the streets.
    “Well, Meadow, I hope tomorrow is a better day for you.” That gorgeous dimple of his showed again, and his eyes twinkled with kindness. “Come, I will escort you back to your home.”
    Meadow placed her now empty mug on the ground and shook her head. “That’s not necessary, Commander Varron. I can walk home